1. Field of the Invention
The present design relates generally to the art of medical instrument systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for collecting and replaying video recordings of surgeons performing medical procedures with a simultaneous rendering of the medical instrument operating parameters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many surgeons record each surgical procedure they perform. Recording typically involves a digital video capture and data storage system that allows surgeons to record images during the course of the surgical procedure as generated by a camera mounted on, for example, a surgical microscope. Surgeons rarely, if ever, separately record other parameters or events generated during the procedure.
When playing back such recordings, viewers are typically limited to the raw video footage recorded and no other information. For example, during an ophthalmic surgery, the procedures performed on the eye are the only images visible. The problem with such a situation is that subsequent viewers have no idea what challenges were encountered—the surgeon must be present and inform the viewers, or the viewer must review notes from the procedure, or the viewer is totally left in the dark as to what occurred during the procedure. For example, if a sudden drop in pressure occurred in a suction instrument, the viewer has no idea this occurred. Similarly, settings for instruments and dynamic parameters, particularly those that change rapidly or dramatically from initial settings, are not available and it is rare that detailed notes are available, such as “18 minutes, 22 seconds into the procedure—changed power settings from high to low.”
Based on the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide for simultaneous replay of camera video images with other parameters pertinent to the procedure, rendered on a single video monitor display device for use in medical instrument systems that overcomes the foregoing drawbacks present in previously known designs.